Thursday, October 15, 2015

Advertisement for 1924 silent-movie version of Peter Pan

The first film treatment was Paramount Picture's 1924 silent movie Peter Pan. And, a while back, I came across a neat old advertisement for that version at the oft-mentioned antique/junk store in York New Salem. The long-surviving ephemera, the front of which is pictured above, is five inches wide and features a top flap that folds upward to reveal the full advertising copy.

The movie, which was originally released on December 29, 1924, was set for a three-day run in early January 1925 at the Grand Theatre in Norfolk, Nebraska1 (of all places).

Admission was 10 cents for children and 40 cents for adults. (The equivalent of $1.37 and $5.48 today, so, yes, movies have gotten disproportionately more expensive, compared to inflation, over the decades.)

Here's an excerpt from the advertisement describing this silent movie, which was 105 minutes long and has a 7.4 (out of 10) rating in IMDb.com:

"At last this most charming of all classics of literature has reached the screen in a wonderful picture that will delight everybody from eight to eighty. Betty Bronson, whom Barrie himself chose for the part and declared the sweetest girl in the world, is 'Peter.' ... It's the screen event of the season. Don't miss it!"

Bronson (1906-1971) also starred in the 1925 silent version of Ben-Hur. During her career, she worked alongside Al Jolson, Jack Benny and Gene Autry, among others. Her final role was a small, uncredited part in the 1971 Evel Knievel biopic, starring George Hamilton.

"Obviously inspired by his discussions with Sir James Barrie, Mr. Brenon has fashioned a brilliant and entrancing production of this fantasy, one which is a great credit to the Famous Players-Lasky Corporation and also to the whole motion picture industry. It is not a movie, but a pictorial masterpiece which we venture to say will meet the approval of the author. While he has introduced some ideas which were not possible on the stage, Mr. Brenon has not strayed from the theme of the whimsical story."

Modern reviewers also praise the movie, which is available on DVD. You can check out the IMDb reviewers here.

As for Norfolk's Grand Theatre, it's still around. It opened in in 1921, underwent several name and ownership changes, and closed as a movie theater in 2002.

But it was added to the National Register of Historic Places on September 4, 2013, and is now owned by the Norfolk Community Theatre, which hopes to restore and perform in the building.

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About the Author

I'm Chris Otto, a Pennsylvania resident and journalist whose hobbies and interests include old books, ephemera, history, folklore, alpacas, photography and much more. Never stop reading, learning and asking questions! I consider this blog to be a spiritual descendant of Microsoft Encarta and a companion to Wikipedia. Every piece of paper tells a story.
Reach me at chrisottopa (at) gmail.com.

As (kind of) featured in The New York Times...

Papergreat was mentioned in Stephanie Clifford's August 7, 2011, article in The New York Times titled "Shopper Receipts Join Paperless Age." Find out why, years ago, I held onto a receipt for a hot dog!

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